Performers 2010-2011

Afternoon of Chamber Music

A group made up of SMU graduate students and graduate - Matthew Vincent, violin, Daniel Burrowes, cello and Kristie Janczyk, piano - will perform.

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Olga Amelkina-Vera, guitar

Composer and guitarist Olga Amelkina-Vera grew up in Belarus and moved to the United States in 1997. She holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Music Summa Cum Laude from the University of St. Thomas and Masters of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Guitar Performance and Music History from the University of North Texas. Olga is an active soloist, chamber musician, and award-winning composer of works for guitar.

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Avguste Antonov, piano

Pianist Avguste Antonov leads an active career as soloist and teacher. He is currently Piano Instructor at The Master's Touch School of Music & Performing Arts, LLC in Grapevine, Texas.

Avguste Antonov has presented recitals in Bordeaux (France), Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Florida, Pennsylvania, Texas, Ohio and has performed extensively with the University of Kansas Wind Ensemble, University of Kansas Symphony, Symphonic Choir and the Texas Christian University Wind Symphony. Performance venues include the Music Education National Convention with the University of Kansas Wind Ensemble and the College Band Directors National Association with the Texas Christian University Wind Symphony. He has been featured soloist with the University of Kansas Symphony, the Kansas City Medical Arts Symphony, the University of Kansas Wind Ensemble and the Hardin-Simmons University Orchestra.

Mr. Antonov is a dedicated performer of 20th and 21st century music and has performed World and US premieres at venues such as the University of Miami, University of Kansas, Youngstown State University and other locations. Over the years, he has worked with composers Carter Pann, Raina Murnak, John Arrigo-Nelson, Matthew Lewis, Till Meyn, Michael Colgrass, Robert Rollin and many others.

The 2010-2011 season will see Mr. Antonov featured in events across Texas, Kansas, California, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Mr. Antonov is also preparing his debut CD of American Music to be released by Parma Recordings and distributed by Naxos. For more details about this exciting project, please visit his official website at www.avgusteantonov.com.

Born in Bulgaria, Mr. Antonov began music studies at the age of 5. In 1989, after joining his mother and stepfather in France, he studied at the prestigious private school Ecole Normale de Paris (1989-1990) and at the Conservatoire Nationale de Region de Bordeaux (1990-1999). His teachers in France were Alain Motard and Herve N'Kaoua.

Following his stay in Bordeaux, Mr. Antonov moved to the United States where he attended the University of Missouri-Kansas City (1999-2000) studying with Robert Weirich and Stanislav Ioudenitch (2001 co-winner of the Van Cliburn Piano Competition). The following year Avguste joined the University of Kansas (2000-2005) where he studied under Jack Winerock and in May 2005, Avguste obtained the Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Kansas. That same year, Avguste Antonov obtained the United States citizenship.

In 2006, Mr Antonov moved to Texas, and between 2006-2008, he studied at Texas Christian University under the direction of Tamas Ungar.

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Janie Bergamasco, soprano

Janie Bergamasco is a senior at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. She will graduate in December with a double major in music and Spanish. She has studied with Barbara Hill-Moore, Rose Taylor, and David Grogan, and is currently studying with Colleen Mallette. Her program will include works by Mozart, Handel, Faure, Gounod, Quilter, and Pergolesi.

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Gabriel Bita, piano

Since winning solo and concerto competitions in Europe and America, Gabriel Bita has concertized as a soloist and chamber musician, collaborated with world-renowned artists, and performed with major symphony orchestras. A few collaborating artists include: conductor Otto Werner Mueller (performance of Brahms 2nd Piano Concerto with the Juilliard Orchestra at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, New York); John Giordano (music director emeritus of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra); Walfrid Kujala (former Chicago Symphony principal flute and piccolo); Eugene Osadchy (solo and chamber cellist, performed in Vancouver Symphony, now teaching at University of North Texas); Pam Youngblood (flutist and chamber music collaborator, from Texas Woman's University).

Gabriel Bita has won national and international piano competitions since he was nine years old, with top prizes at Suceava (Romania), Citta di Calanzaro and Citta di Senigallia (Italy), the Ohio Music Teachers Association, Nena Wideman piano concerto competition (Shreveport, LA), the Van Cliburn Institute concerto competition (Fort Worth, TX) and the Columbus Symphony concerto competition (Ohio).

Symphony orchestra engagements as a soloist include performances with the Juilliard Orchestra, Fort Worth Chamber Orchestra, Filharmonica de Jalisco in Guadalajara Mexico, Oberlin Orchestra, Fort Collins Symphony, Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Ashland and Canton Orchestras (Ohio), Botosani Symphony (Romania). Solo concert performances include recitals throughout the United States, France, Italy, Germany, Romania, and Japan (performing concerts in Tokyo and Asahikawa, with critical acclaim). The Hokkaido Shimbun Press wrote that Gabriel "established magnificent sonority in his playing with soul and passion."

Gabriel will have an upcoming classical CD recording this spring, containing works for piano and flute, to be released under the Naxos label. This collaborative recording with Pam Youngblood, flutist, includes pieces by American composers Martin Kennedy, Daniel Dorff, Jeff Manookian, and Dean C. Howard.

Mr. Bita is the full-time staff accompanist at Texas Woman's University, where he frequently performs on faculty concerts, degree recitals and solo piano recitals. He holds a master of music degree in piano performance from The Juilliard School, and a bachelor of music degree from Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Gabriel has studied with well-know musicians, including Vladimir Viardo, Martin Canin, Peter Takacs, Jerome Lowenthal, and Andre Laplante. Gabriel has also participated in masterclasses and summer music festivals, studying under internationally renowned artists such as Sergei Babayan, Leon Fleisher, Jose Feghali, Menahem Pressles, Ralph Votapek, and Claude Frank.

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Brookhaven Madrigal Singers

Known as Vivace, this costumed madrigal ensemble performs both sacred and secular madrigal and chamber choral music spanning the last eight centuries. Vivace is one of four vocal ensembles for Brookhaven Community College students and is conducted by Melody Gamblin-Bullock.

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Jeremy Bowen, piano

Jeremy Bowen graduated in 2008 from Granbury High School and is currently a junior at Tarleton State University, working on his Bachelor of Music in education, focusing on voice and piano. Jeremy won the Center Stage Award in spring 2010. He is pianist at First Christian Church of Granbury. He also is the accompanist for Tarleton’s Select Women’s Ensemble, Tarleton's Men's Chorus and Granbury’s Crossland 9th grade Center’s Choirs. His future goals are to attend graduate school pursuing a degree in Collaborative Piano.

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Daniel Burrowes

Daniel Burrowes began playing the cello at the age of 5 at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. During his time at St Olave’s Grammar School, Orpington, he sang in the choir of the Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy, while continuing his instrumental studies at the Kent Music Academy in Maidstone, the county’s specialist music school, where his father is Head of Strings.

He was a member of the Kent County Youth Orchestra from 2001-2007. This youth orchestra is widely regarded as being one of the finest in England, and Daniel was Principal Cello in his last 2 years. Since July 2007, he has been a regular deputy in the London production of The Phantom of the Opera, and he is now beginning to build up his professional freelance work.

In June 2007, he graduated with a 2:1 degree in Music at Leeds University, which included a first in his final cello performance. During his 3 years at Leeds, his cello teachers were Anna Shuttleworth and Sue Lowe.

Whilst at Leeds, he played the Saint-Saens Cello Concerto with the Leeds University Chamber Orchestra and he was principal cello for the Leeds University Philharmonia, and co-principal of the Leeds University Union Chamber Orchestra. He also played chamber music with many ensembles including Piano Trios and String Quartets.

Both his parents are professional cellists and Daniel has played on a number of professional dates with his father in the past 3 years. At one of these, they appeared as the soloists in the Vivaldi Double Concerto.

In June 2009 he completed his Masters degree at Trinity College of Music, studying cello with Joely Koos. This course also included modules related to teaching.

Daniel has just completed the first year of a two year Artist Certificate Course at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas. He is a major scholarship holder and studies with Andres Diaz, former winner of the Naumberg Cello Competition and world renowned soloist. He also has weekly seminars on orchestral repertoire and techniques with Christopher Adkins, principal cello of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. At SMU, he has performed as Sub-Principal with the Meadows Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Dr Paul Phillips and he has performed with local orchestras such as the San Angelo Symphony Orchestra and the Dallas Live Orchestra.

Daniel plays on a fine old Scottish cello, made by Matthew Hardie in Edinburgh 1810.

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Mallory Caracciolo, piano

Mallory Caracciolo is a sophomore piano major at Tarleton State University from Bedford, Texas. She has been studying piano since the age of 5 and has recently become a collegiate member of TMTA. She is working on her Bachelor of Music in education degree with K-12 certification. She plans to teach elementary music while also giving piano lessons.

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Ruth Chang, violin

Sixteen year old violinist Ruth Chang began taking violin lessons at the age of four and is currently studying with Jan Sloman. After winning the grand prize in YOGFW Young Artists’ Competition, Ms. Chang made her orchestral debut with the Youth Orchestra of Greater Fort Worth in 2006. She won second prize in the Dallas Symphonic Festival in 2007 and 2008. In 2010, she was a finalist in the Lynn Harrell Concerto Competition and a semifinalist in the Fort Worth Symphony Concerto Competition. She also won second prize at the 2010 Hubbard Young Artists’ Solo Competition. In 2011, she was the alternate winner in the MTNA semifinals and advanced to the semifinal round in the ASTA competition. Ms. Chang had the honor to perform for Chee Yun Kim, Stephanie Chase, James Ehnes, Sergiu Luca, Ani Kavafian, and Ida Kavafian. In the summer, she regularly attends The Institute for Strings directed by Jan Sloman and received a merit scholarship to Meadowmount to study with Juilliard professor, Sally Thomas in 2009. Ms Chang is scheduled to perform Saint-Saens Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso with the Youth Orchestra of Greater Fort Worth in the spring of 2011. Aside from her musical studies, Ms. Chang is a fan of the Spain national soccer league and enjoys reading a good book, watching movies, and playing music with her friends.

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Hyunjung Chung, piano

Born in South Korea, pianist Hyunjung "Rachel" Chung has actively performed as a recitalist, concerto soloist and chamber musician in Italy, France, Thailand, Canada, Korea and throughout the U.S. She is a winner of several competitions, including the 27th Artist International New York Debut Audition, Rutgers Concerto Competition, Mannes Piano Concerto Competition and South Orange Orchestra Concerto Competition, as well as a finalist in many international piano competitions.

After presenting her New York recital debut at the Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall in 1996, Chung has appeared in various venues including the Bibloteque Polonaise in Paris, Church of Christ in Thailand, Symphony Space, New York University, Fisk University, University of Montevallo, University of North Texas, University of Central Arkansas, and Oklahoma State University, and invited to perform in the Grumo Festival in Italy, Blue Lake Summer Arts Festival, Hawaii International Conference for Arts and Humanities, National College Music Society Conference in Quebec City, Canada, TCU/ Van Cliburn Teacher's Institute, Arkansas Music Teachers' Association (ASMTA), and Arkansas Summer Music Series to name a few. She has collaborated with many established instrumentalists, and served as an accompanist and orchestra pianist for the Delaware Valley Opera Company and Hudson Opera Theater in New York. As an active music educator, she has adjudicated numerous competitions including 2008 World Pianovision Competition in Dallas, ACT-SO, UCA Annual Piano Competition, MTA/CA Sonata/Sonatine Festival, and National Federation of Music Club Audition.

From 2002 to 2006 she taught piano, aural skills, and music theory at Philander Smith College and currently she is Assistant Professor at Spelman College in Atlanta, GA since 2006. Chung holds her Bachelor of Arts degree in Piano Performance from Seoul National University, her Master of Music degree and Professional Study Diploma from the Mannes College of Music in New York, and her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance from Rutgers - the State University of New Jersey.

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Contrapunctus Brass Trio

The trio is made up of Amy Schendel, trumpet, Todd Schendel, trombone and Bernhard Scully, horn. http://www.brasstrio.com/live/

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Dallas Renaissance Consort

The Dallas Renaissance Consort, led by Susan Scheib, plays Renaissance music on reproductions of authentic musical instruments of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Consort members--most of them with 20-30 years of experience playing and teaching early music--are local musicians active in Dallas-area early and community music groups. In this concert, audience members will hear and see music of Martin Luther's time and place, played on lutes, viols, and harp, as well as music of the well-known 16th-century English lutenist and composer John Dowland. Soprano Audrey Brown will join the consort for this performance. The Consort is made up of Alan Williams, lute; Audrey Brown, soprano; Hazel Mosely, harp; Allen Garvin, Hazel Mosely, Susan Poelchau and Susan Scheib, violas da gamba.

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DeAnna Donovan, piano

DeAnna Donovan, a psychology major from Odessa, Texas, is a junior at Tarleton State University. DeAnna is a music minor and has been playing the piano for 12 years and the trumpet for 11 years. She has been a member of the Tarleton Bands and a student of Dr. Spotz for the past two years. She enjoys spending time with her family as well as her dog and two cats. DeAnna will graduate in May 2011 and proceed to obtain a master’s degree in psychology at the University of Texas at Arlington in the Fall before pursuing a career as a counselor and life coach.

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Carmen Doubrava, piano

Carmen Doubrava received her bachelor of music and master of music degrees in piano performance from the University of North Texas. She is a member of the Dallas Music Teachers Association and is a founding member of the Carrollton Music Teachers Association. Ms. Doubrava was on the fine arts faculty at Brookhaven College for 10 years before joining the faculty at The Hockaday School in 1999 where teaches piano, AP music theory and accompanies the middle and upper school choirs. She is also the choir accompanist at Horizon Unitarian Universalist Church in Carrollton, and a contributing writer for the"Pupil Savers" section of Clavier Companion magazine. Ms. Doubrava resides in Carrollton with her husband Lloyd Sitkoff.

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Michael Drobycki, viola

Michael Drobycki began his viola studies at the age of eleven. He has participated in The Mimir Chamber Music Festival in Fort Worth, TX, National Repertory Orchestra (NRO) in the 2005 and 2006 seasons, Spoleto USA Festival in Charleston, SC for the 2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons. He is an avid chamber musician, participating in the Intensive String Quartet Seminar for four semesters at The Cleveland Institute of Music, and recently winning the 2010 Hubbard Chamber Music Competition with his trio at Southern Methodist University. Michael holds a BM and MM in Viola Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music. Currently, Michael is an Artist Certificate Candidate under the tutelage of Ms. Barbara Sudweeks, and is a substitute violist with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

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Jeannie Fisher

Jeannie Clark Fisher is a member of the Dallas Opera Chorus and has performed as soloist with the Mesquite and Sherman Symphony Orchestras and the Richardson and McKinney Community Bands. She earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Voice Performance from Ithaca College in New York and also studied voice at the University of North Texas. She has a private voice studio in Allen, TX, and is an active member of the Plano Music Teachers Association. In addition to classical music, Fisher has also performed pop, country, rock, folk, and jazz music at restaurants, hotels, country clubs, and college campuses. She is a songwriter, pianist, and guitarist with two recordings and a third in progress. Her original songs are about real life relationships and experiences.

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Stephanie Florentino, piano

Stephanie Florentino received her Associate of Arts degree in Music from Hill College in 2007 and is currently a senior piano major at Tarleton State University. In the summer of 2007, she traveled to Italy through a study abroad program offered by Tarleton where she won second place in the Lorenzo di Medici-Tarleton State University Voice and Piano Competition. Stephanie currently is on the faculty at PianoWorks Music Studio in Flower Mound where she teaches private beginning piano lessons.

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Olivia Frederich, piano

Olivia Frederich is a Tarleton State University senior from Coppell, Texas. She is a member of the Honors’ Degree Program, Texas Music Teachers Association – collegiate chapter, Alpha Chi, and Mu Phi Epsilon. Olivia is a recipient of the Donald W. & Dahlee Morton Endowed Piano Scholarship, the Marguerite Landress Memorial Endowed Scholarship in Music, the Honors' Degree Program Scholarship, and the Presidential Academic Scholarship. She has performed on the Honors Recital at Tarleton three consecutive years, and was awarded the Center Stage Award twice. After college, she plans to teach private piano lessons at a music conservatory.

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Jay Gardner, tenor

Jay Gardner is a versatile artist at home in many different genres. In 2002 he was honored to be a featured soloist in the Carnegie hall premier of Sing for the Cure comissioned by the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the Turtle Creek Chorale. In the Dallas area Jay’s theatrical performances include Charlie Dalrymple in Brigadoon, the Second Man in Side By Side By Sondheim, Reuben in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat as well as the Dallas Theater Center’s annual production of A Christmas Carol. Other productions include Evita, The Spectre Bridegroom, Into the Woods and the regional premier of Alan Menken and Tim Rice’s King David. On the opera stage Jay has been heard as Canio in Pagliacci with Kansas Concert Opera, the Second Noble in Lohengrin and the Second Jew in Salome both with The Dallas Opera. This past summer Jay was featured in Bernstein on Broadway at the Crested Butte Music Festival and was a soloist with the Cherry Creek Music Festival in Fredericksburg, Texas. Jay is currently pursuing the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in Voice at the University of North Texas.

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Robin Garner, clarinet

An active freelance musician, Robin Garner has played with the Colorado, Dallas, Fort Worth and New Orleans Symphony Orchestras. She currently is the second clarinetist with the Garland/Las Colinas and Plano Symphony Orchestras and a regular substitute with the Dallas Symphony and Dallas Opera Orchestras. In 2004, Robin co-founded Camerata Winds, a non-profit chamber music ensemble committed to presenting the finest in chamber music for mid-sized wind ensembles and to furthering community education through subscription and outreach concerts. This acclaimed ensemble provides a variety of mentoring opportunities for emerging talent, and and is known for its easily accessible programming and presentation.

Dedicated to music education as well as performance, Robin is the private clarinet instructor for the Highland Park schools, and also teaches privately in the Richardson and Mesquite school districts and from her home studio in Lake Highlands. She excels in giving beginning players a solid foundation and in helping mature students of all ages realize their musical and technical potential. Robin enjoys presenting master classes at area schools and is a regular clinician for the Allen Clarinet Solutions festival.

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Kristie Janczyk, piano

Known for passionate performances with impeccable acuity for color, textural balance and keen attention to detail, Kristie Janczyk is one of today’s young prolific American pianists. Playing since the age of three, Ms. Janczyk is sought after around the world as a soloist, chamber musician and accompanist. She is consistently praised for her inspiration and flair by communicating the energy and musical impulses in the pieces, as well as for presenting programs full of confidence and passion that underscore her love for the piano.

A prizewinner of major competitions throughout the world, Ms. Janczyk made her debut at Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall in 2009 as being named a first prizewinner in the American Protégé International Competition. Other notable prizes include two first prizes at the 2009 USOMC International Competition, first place at the Petroff Piano Competition, and first place in the Mid-Texas Symphony Young Artist Competition, where she performed Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.1 with the Mid-Texas Symphony Orchestra under the direction of David Mairs. Additional awards include placing in the top three finalists for the Contemporary Award at the Frinna Awerbuch International Piano Competition in New York City, second prize at the Aloha International Piano Competition, third and fourth prizes at the Los Angeles Liszt Competition, and semi-finalist in the Vladimir Viardo International Piano Competition. Ms. Janczyk was also awarded honorable mention at the Joyce Dutka Arts Foundation Competition, Bradshaw and Buono Competition and the Janice K. Hodges Contemporary Piano Competition.

As a soloist, Ms. Janczyk has appeared with the Viva Vivaldi Festival Orchestra in Mexico City under the direction of Michael Meissner. Performances during this festival included a solo Bach recital at the Instituto Italiano de Cultura and eight concerts with the Meadows Trio. She performed for Prince Edward of England, as well as for the President of Latvia, the latter of which she performed the Bach d minor concerto in Wagner Hall with the Riga Chamber Orchestra in Riga, Latvia. She was also selected to perform in the Rising Stars concert held at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto,ON as part of the Toronto Summer Music Festival. In addition, Ms. Janczyk has performed with Lone Star Wind Orchestra, Garland Symphony, Las Colinas Symphony, Arlington Symphony, New Conservatory of Dallas, the Dallas Wind Symphony and Music in the Mountains in Durango, Colorado under the direction of Arkady Fomin, and toured Germany, Poland and Czech Republic with the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra.

Ms. Janczyk has participated in several renowned festivals including the Toronto Summer Music Festival & Academy, the International Keyboard Institute and Festival in New York City, Aloha International Piano Festival, Chetham International Summer Festival in Manchester, UK, Bosendorfer International Piano Academy in Vienna, Austria, and the Beverly Hills International Music Festival in Los Angeles, CA.

She is a 2009 graduate of Southern Methodist University with a Master’s Degree in piano performance and a 2005 graduate of SMU with a Bachelor of Music Degree both under the direction of Alfred Mouledous. Check out www.kristiejanczyk.com for more information.

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Kithara Duo

Kithara Duo, made up of guitarists Fernand Vera and Olga Amelkina-Vera, was formed in 2002. They have been invited to perform as guest artists by numerous Texas organizations and festivals, most notably Foundation of Modern Music (Houston), Col Canto (Houston), Voces Intimae (Dallas), “Classical Minds" Guitar Festival at the University of Houston Moores School of Music, Fort Worth Guitar Guild Music Festival, Mesquite Guitar Festival, and live on "The Front Row," a program on Houston's classical radio station KUHF 88.7. Kithara Duo are the creators and directors of the annual Guitar Orchestra Workshop in the North Texas area. They currently live in Denton, Texas. Their website is: www.kitharaduo.com.

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Christopher Hepburn, piano

Christopher Hepburn resides in Stephenville, Texas where he studies at Tarleton State University. He is in his junior year. Hepburn spent this past summer in Boston, Massachusetts studying at Berklee College of Music with Professor of Piano, Jennifer Elowsky-Fox. He was a featured soloist in the 2007 Lorenzo de’Medici International Piano and Voice Competition in Tuscania, Italy. He has been president of Tarleton’s collegiate chapter of TMTA for two years.

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David Korevaar

David Korevaar's mastery of the piano is joined with a large and varied repertoire, and enhanced by his work with living composers and his own experience writing music. He successfully balances an active performing career as a soloist and chamber musician with teaching at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he is Associate Professor of Piano.

David Korevaar presented his London debut at Wigmore Hall in 2007, as well as his German recital debut at the Heidelberg Spring Festival. Mr. Korevaar has been heard at major venues in New York including Weill Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Town Hall, and Merkin Concert Hall. He has performed across the United States from Boston, New York and Washington, DC to Chicago, Cincinnati, Houston, Dallas and San Diego, and he plays frequently in his home state of Colorado with orchestras, in chamber ensembles and in solo recitals. International performances have included appearances in Australia, Japan, Korea, Abu Dhabi and Europe. Korevaar has performed as soloist with orchestras throughout the United States.

In March 2008 Mr. Korevaar will embark on an artistic ambassador tour of Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, where he will give recitals as well as masterclasses. The tour is under the sponsorship of the US Department of State.

Currently a member of the Boulder Public Library's ensemble-in-residence, the Boulder Piano Quartet (with violinist Elizabeth Kipper, violist Matthew Dane, and cellist Thomas Heinrich), and University of Texas at Dallas's resident Clavier Trio (with violinist Arkady Fomin and cellist Jesus Castro-Balbi), Korevaar has performed as guest artist with the Takács, Manhattan and Colorado Quartets, among other groups. He was a founding member of the Young Concert Artists Award-winning piano and wind ensemble Hexagon, with which he toured for many years.

David Korevaar's most recent CDs are Lowell Liebermann Quintets and Six Songs (Koch) released in 2008, and Bach Goldberg Variations (Ivory) and Ricardo Viñes Collection (Koch), both released in 2007. Other recent releases include Beethoven Sonatas No. 28, 16 and 32 (Ivory Classics), Ravel's Le tombeau de Couperin, Gaspard de la nuit, and Miroirs (MSR Classics) and Brahms Variations for Piano (Ivory Classics). His broad musical interests and extensive repertoire are reflected in his recordings, ranging from the two books of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier (Musicians Showcase) to the piano music of Lowell Liebermann, Volume 1 and Volume 2 (Koch Classics). He has recorded the romantic virtuoso compositions of Hungarian composer Ernst von Dohnányi (Ivory Classics), and transcriptions (his own and Liszt's) of orchestral music by Franz Liszt, including the rarely heard 2nd Mephisto Waltz (Helicon).

Other releases include the first CD by the Prometheus Quartet featuring music by 19th-Century Frenchmen Saint-Saëns and d'Indy (Centaur), an album of Lowell Liebermann's chamber music with flutist Alexa Still (Koch Classics), the complete sonatas for brass instruments by Paul Hindemith (Kleos), and the Brahms Violin Sonatas with violinist Anastasia Khitruk (Titanic).

David Korevaar's interest in new music is reflected in his programming. In addition to his continuing association with the music of Lowell Liebermann, Korevaar has performed and recorded music by composers including Paul Schoenfield, Mike Barnett, Aaron Jay Kernis, George Rochberg, Aaron Copland, Ned Rorem, Stephen Jaffe, Scott Eyerly and Libby Larson. He gave the New York premiere of three of Harrison Birtwistle's Harrison's Clocks as part of the Juilliard School's Piano Century series in 2000. The Clavier Trio will give the world premiere of Robert Xavier Rodriguez's Sor(tri)lege in February 2008 in Dallas, followed by its New York premiere at Weill Hall.

Mr. Korevaar is a frequent participant in the University of Colorado's Pendulum new music series. For an idea of what he looks for in new music, read Korevaar's essay in the October 2003 New Music Box.

Korevaar was honored along with co-author and webmaster Tim Smith of Northern Arizona University for a web-based exploration of the Fugues of the Well-Tempered Clavier, featuring analytical essays and animations by Professor Smith, performance-related essays by Korevaar, and Korevaar's performances of the music. The site received top honors both in music and overall, including the Editors' Choice Award from MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching).

Other honors include top prizes from the University of Maryland William Kapell International Piano Competition (1988) and the Peabody-Mason Music Foundation (1985), as well as a special prize for his performance of French music from the Robert Casadesus Competition (1989). In May 2000 he received the Richard French award from the Juilliard School, honoring his doctoral document on Ravel's Miroirs.

David Korevaar began his piano studies at age six in San Diego with Sherman Storr, and at age 13 he became a student of the great American virtuoso Earl Wild. By age 20 he had earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the Juilliard School, where he continued his studies with Earl Wild and studied composition with David Diamond. He completed his Doctor of Musical Arts from the Juilliard School with Abbey Simon. Another important mentor and teacher was the French pianist Paul Doguereau, who had been a student of Egon Petri, and who had studied the music of Fauré and Debussy with Roger-Ducasse (a pupil of Fauré's), and the music of Ravel with the composer.

Prior to joining the faculty of the University of Colorado in 2000, Korevaar taught for many years at the Westport School of Music in Connecticut, where he was Artist-Teacher. He now lives in Boulder, CO with his family. Mr. Korevaar is a Kawai artist.

David has a MySpace page with audio clips, a blog and performance information, and a YouTube channel with performance videos including a January 2010 concert featuring works by Debussy, Beethoven, and Liszt.

"[Korevaar] offers brilliant, sensitive, subtly nuanced performances of all the pieces at hand" - Fanfare

"A kaleidoscope of sonorities... the power to beguile the listener with charm and grace" - International Piano

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Doohi Lee, piano

Doohi Lee began the piano at age 13 and studied with Paul Kueter, continuing with Harriet Goler at the Cleveland Institute of Music in Piano Performance. He changed his major field of study to Biomedical Engineering at the Case School of Engineering in Cleveland, while continuing his piano studies with William Appling and Andrius Kuprevicius. During the summer of 1986, he was accepted to the Fontainbleau School of Music in France, where he studied piano with Gaby Casadesus and music analysis with Narcis Bonet, as protégé of Nadia Boulanger. Lee has also coached with Carolle Anne Mochernuk, Samuel Sander, Emilio del Rosario, Jose Fegahli, and Tamas Ungar.

As piano soloist, Lee performed with the Redford Civic Symphony Orchestra in Michigan in two separate occasions, performing the Piano Concerto Nos. 19 and 20 by Mozart. He has also presented solo recitals in Lexington, Richmond, Cleveland, Detroit, Antwerp, Montreal, and Buenos Aires. In June of 1999 and 2000, he was invited to participate in the First and Second Van Cliburn International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs at Fort Worth, Texas. In August 2001, as part of Altamura Music Festival on the Greene (Catskills, New York), Lee performed and recorded the Piano Concerto No. 20 (K466) by Mozart with the State Philharmonic Orchestra of Bacau, Romania, Karel Mark Chichon conducting.

A devoted chamber musician, Lee has performed with the members of The Cleveland Orchestra (June 1989, for the benefit of The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus), The Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Lyric Chamber Ensemble, and the Montreal Symphony. In June of 1991, he was invited to perform the “Trout” Piano Quintet by Schubert with The Lafayette String Quartet for the benefit of The Center for Creative Studies in Detroit. In 2003, Lee founded The Phoenix Trio, with Nancy Messuri (Violin) and Dwight Anderson (Cello), and presented many concerts in the greater Dallas area.

Also a Conductor, Lee began conducting in college with the Case Men’s Glee Club as Interim Conductor. He studied orchestral conducting with David Daniels, Michael Charry, David Delta Gier, and Gustav Meier. He was Apprentice Conductor under David Daniels, and made his orchestral conducting debut in 1994 with The Pontiac-Oakland Symphony in Michigan, directing the Piano Concerto No. 2 by Liszt and the Violin Concerto by Mendelssohn. At the Altamura Music Festival, Lee also conducted the State Philharmonic Orchestra of Bacau, Romania, in a performance of the Overture to “Die Fledermaus” by R. Strauss and the Symphony No. 7 (1st Movement) by Beethoven.

As a physician, Lee is a Surgical Radiologist, specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal injuries, chronic soft tissue pain, diabetic neuropathy, and vein diseases. He currently practices in Plano, Texas.

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Meng Ying Lee, piano

Meng Ying Lee, a native of Taiwan, won first prize in both solo and concerto sections in Dandenong Festival of Music and Arts for Youth, in Melbourne, Australia. She performed Percy Grainger’s piano duo works, which were recorded live by ABC Classic FM, at Iwaki Auditorium. A graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School, in Melbourne, Australia, she was awarded the Victoria Certificate of Education (VCE) as a VCE high achiever in both Music Solo performance and Music Group Performance. In 2007, she was awarded the Diploma with Distinguished Merit by the International Piano Performance Examinations Committee (IPPEC) in Taiwan R.O.C, the highest honor awarded by IPPEC. In 2010, she was named Outstanding Freshman Pianist at Tarleton State University Department.

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Lone Star Wind Orchestra Clarinet Choir

The Lone Star Wind Orchestra was founded on April 27, 2006 by Robert Clark, Barry Knezek and Christopher Tucker. The driving force behind forming this new performing ensemble was the collective agreement between founders to build the wind orchestra from a player’s perspective and be a vital participant in the North Texas arts community. Among the organization’s many achievements, the Lone Star Wind Orchestra has initiated the “Band Rewards” program which gives local music programs an opportunity to raise funds for their programs through ticket sales, expanded the organization’s successful “Lone Star Kids” program providing a concert experience to Title-I music programs, and presented nine “Music Changing Lives” scholarships to deserving high school seniors.

Part of the Lone Star Wind Orchestra, the Clarinet Choir, is led by Christopher Tucker. Performers are: E-flat Clarinet - Sam Ross; B-flat Clarinet - Kristen Boulet, Keith Davis, Jessica Flanagan, Corey Parks, Sam Ross, Michael Scheuerman, Gail Sjostrom, Myoung Sook Song; Kimberly Tucker, Amy Woody; Alto Clarinet - Keith Davis; Bass Clarinet - Scott Wilson; Contra Clarinet - Rob True. This concert also features Sonia Candelaria – Flute, Jonathan Gill – Trombone, and Robert M. Schwartz - Guest Conductor.

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Ellie Mantrom

Ellie Mantrom has had a long career in professional singing including church music, private recitals, and opera. During her college years in Pennsylvania, she was the lead soprano soloist at St. Luke and the Epiphany Episcopal Church, Philadelphia. She also appeared on television in Vivaldi's Gloria and made an appearance on the stage of The Academy of Music in Philadelphia. In addition, she has recorded children's songs for the United Methodist Church of America. While residing in New Jersey, she was the lead soprano soloist at St. John's Episcopal Church in Elizabeth, N.J. After moving to Dallas, she was also part of the professional choir at St. Matthew's Cathedral. She appeared on television as soloist in The Ballad of Judas Iscariot and as a soprano soloist in Handel's Messiah at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church. Ellie was a part of the International Opera Studio of Dallas under Sheila Harms. She has performed in scenes from The Marriage of Figaro, Der Rosenkavalier, The Magic Flute, The Old Maid and the Thief, Amahl and the Night Visitors, and Little Red Riding Hood. She also performed the role of "the mother" and understudied "the witch" in Hansel and Gretel with the Gilbert and Sullivan Company. Originally from New York, Ellie now lives in Dallas with her husband, Lou. She currently studies with Stephan Austen. She performs for both Pro Musica and the Musical Arts Club. She has two children, each of which has presented her with two granddaughters.

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James McQuillen, piano

James McQuillen has served as Music Director and Conductor for the shows Who Done It? The Musical (reading) at the York Theater Company in New York City; Co-music Director for The Three Redneck Tenors and The Girl of 10,000 Smiles at the 2006 Edinburgh (Scotland) Fringe Festival. He has been Music Director for Watertower Theater’s productions of Violet, Guys and Dolls (in association with the Dallas Wind Symphony) and Grey Gardens; and at Lyric Stage Evita, Master Class, The Pajama Game, A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine, two Dallas Divas concerts, and the world premieres of The Winner, Desperate Measures, and The Spectre Bridegroom, for which he received a Rabin Award nomination for Best Musical Director. At Lyric Stage, he was also the Associate Musical Director of Ragtime, Sweeney Todd, Follies, The Fantasticks, and 110 In the Shade. He has been Music Director at Plano Repertory Theater for award-winning productions of Camelot and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; at the Dallas Theater Center for Guys and Dolls; at Casa Manana for Desperate Measures; for Circle Theater Side By Side By Sondheim and Guys On Ice. He has coached and accompanied singers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Vancouver, British Columbia, and Nuremberg, Germany. He has served as a Staff Coach-Accompanist at Mountain View College and Collin County Community College, and he continues to be a much sought-after coach/accompanist in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Currently, he is a student at the University of North Texas.

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North Dallas Trombone Choir

Formed in 1994, the North Dallas Trombone Choir (NDTC) is a 15-piece all volunteer group whose members share a love of playing trombone and performing good music. The NDTC rehearses weekly and performs regularly. Music styles include gospel, classical, jazz and pop, and performance venues include churches, weddings, concert halls, gazebos, and the ever-popular Great American Mall. The group is led by Rob Eads. Performing will be: Howard Scheib, Rodney Crawford, Glenn Todd, Laura Taylor, Don Heaton, George DeFoe, David Morris - Tenor Trombones; Greg Barton - Bass Trombone; Phil Graham - Conductor.

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Mark Anthony Porras, piano

Mark Anthony Porras is a sophomore at Tarleton State University. Coming from his hometown of Cleburne, TX, Mark aspires to become a film score composer as well as a classically trained pianist. Mark began studying the piano at the age of seven using a self-taught method which aided him in his goal of becoming a piano major. Mark's expected graduation year is 2013; from there he plans on attending graduate school pursuing a degree in music.

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Woody Rowand, clarinet

In addition to his work as a software engineer, Woody Rowand enjoys an active musical life that includes performances with the Allen Philharmonic Orchestra and as a member of the pit orchestra for many recent Lyric Stage productions. He has been a featured soloist with the Allen Philharmonic Orchestra, the Mesquite Symphony Orchestra, and the Bach Festival of Central Florida.

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Sophia Sands, piano

Sophia Sands is a freshman at Tarleton State University as a Dick Smith Premiere Scholar and member of the Honors Degree Program. She is working towards a degree in piano. In the future she hopes to attend graduate school and make piano performance her career. She regularly performs with her sister, harpist, Jeanette Sands, also a freshman at Tarleton.

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Amy Schendel, trumpet

Trumpeter Amy Schendel currently plays with the Iowa Brass Quintet and Contrapunctus Brass Trio. Previous positions include Spoleto Festival USA, Wisconsin Brass Quintet, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Tanglewood Music Festival, National Repertory Orchestra, and Civic Orchestra of Chicago. She has also won trumpet positions with the United Sates Marine Band, "The President's Own," and the United States Air Force Ceremonial Band, Washington, DC.

As a featured guest soloist, Dr. Schendel has played with the Indiana University Orchestra, University of Iowa Orchestra and Band, Texas Woman's University Wind Ensemble and many others. She has also performed extensively with Minnesota Orchestra, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra Iowa, and Texas Winds. Dr. Schendel has also performed in Europe with the Augsburger Philharmoniker and chamber concerts in Munich, Dachau, Augsburg, and Berlin. Recent performances inclde Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, Quad cities Symphony Brass Quintet, and as a member of the Contrapunctus Brass Trio.

Upcoming concerts include performances in Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Texas and Europe. Her first solo and chamber music recording, Full Power, released in 2010, features Abe Lincoln's Song Book, written by Douglas Hill for the Contrapunctus Brass Trio and narration. Dr. Schendel has studied with John Aley, John Rommel, Robert Baca, Manny Laureano, Uwe Kelindienst and Gary Bordner.

She has degrees from University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Indiana University, and University of Wisconsin-Madison, While at Madison, she was a Paul J. Wollins Wisconsin Distinguished Fellow and was co-author of a grant entitled Western Wisconsin Cultural Initiative, providing supplemental music performances to rural western Wisconsin school districts. Since 2009, Dr. Schendel is the trumpet professor at the University of Iowa.

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Todd Schendel, trombone

Trombonist Todd Schendel's performance experience includes positions with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Spoleto Festival Orchestra USA, Contrapunctus Brass Trio, and playing extra and substitute for the National Repertory Orchestra, Madison Symphony, Orchestra Iowa, Quad cities Symphony and the Minnesota Orchestra.

Adept in commercial settings, he has performed with Doc Severinsen, Art Garfunkel, John McDermott, Bobby Vinton, Riders in the Sky, Wayne Newton and Solomon Douglas Swingtet. As soloist, Dr. Schendel has performed through the country - Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Texas, Michigan, California, and in the German cities of Munich, Augsburg, Dachau, and Berlin. Upcoming and recent performances include Indiana University, Texas Woman's University, University of Iowa, Drake University, and European events at the Dachau Musiksommer Barockpicknick (Dachau, Germany) and JfM Augsburg, Leopold Mozart Zentrum (Augsburg, Germany) and with the Contrapunctus Brass Trio.

His first solo and chamber music recording, Full Power, released in 2010, features Abe Lincoln's Song Book, written by Douglas Hill for the Contrapunctus Brass Trio and narrantion. Devoted to chamber music, Dr. Schendel has also performed with Bay View Brass, Harvey Phillips Tuba Company and Wisconsin Brass Quintet; recent performances include the Rod Pierson Big Band, Orchestra Iowa Brass Quintet and Contrapunctus Brass Trio. He has also appeared on Wisconsin Public Radio with the Contrapunctus Brass Trio, Wisconsin Brass Quintet, and the RounTree Ensemble, and has been seen on National Public Television.

Entrepreneurial pursuits include co-authoring the Western Wisconsin Cultural Initiative, a three-year supplemental music education program funded by the Ira and Ineva Baldwin Endowment, J. William Fulbright Fellowship to Germany and a Paul J. Collins Fellowship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Dr. Todd Schendel's teachers include Rodney Hudons, Daneil Cloutier, Carl Lenthe, M. Dee Stewart, Daniel Perantoni, Mark Hetzler, Douglas Wright and Kari Sunstrom. He received degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Indiana University-Bloomington, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has held positions at Texas Woman's University, Illinois State University, Bay View Music Festival, and is currently an adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Iowa.

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Bernhard Scully, horn

Bernhard Scully is the professor of horn at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and former Principal Horn of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. He has been featured as a soloist with the SPCO on many occasions including in Benjamin Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings, and in Richard Strauss’ Concerto No. 2 for Horn and Orchestra. Previous to the SPCO, Bernhard was the horn player of the Canadian Brass. During his time with this quintet, he performed in 16 countries, on three separate continents, and recorded four CDs, as well as a top-ranked music video. With the group he performed in the world’s finest concert halls, sharing the stage and soloing with some of the world’s greatest symphony orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, National Arts Centre Orchestra, and the Toronto Symphony. Since his departure in 2007, he has been fortunate to return and play with them on numerous occasions. He is a founding member of the Contrapunctus Brass Trio, performing and teaching in varying contexts from under-funded school music programs to international tours.

Bernhard has been invited to be a guest artist at many workshops and conventions, where he has given lectures, master classes, and performed as a soloist. In 2008, he was featured as a soloist with the Colorado Symphony in Lee Actor’s Concerto for Horn and Orchestra, which received much critical acclaim. He is also horn soloist on the Hal Leonard Publishing’s “The G. Schirmer Horn Collection” that includes much of the standard literature for horn and piano. He performed Gunther Schuller’s Quintet for Horn and Strings with the Chamber Music Society of Minnesota in 2009 with composer conducting.

In 2009 Bernhard became the first classical brass player to win Minnesota’s prestigious McKnight Foundation Artist Fellowship. He received the Distinguished Music Alumni Award from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2010 for outstanding artistry. Bernhard has received awards from organizations such as the WAMSO Competition, National Foundation for the Advancement in the Arts, Evergreen Society of Minnesota, and the Schubert Club. Bernhard received his undergraduate degree with honors at Northwestern University, studying with Gail Williams and Roland Pandolfi. He received his master's degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was a Paul Collins Distinguished Fellow, studying with Douglas Hill. He did further studies with Kendall Betts, in Germany with Hermann Baumann, and in Norway with Froydis Ree Werkre. In Madison, he won the student concerto competition with Rheinhold Gliere’s Concerto for Horn in B-flat, and performed as a member of the Madison Symphony and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra.

A passionate teacher, Bernhard has been on the faculty of the Music Academy of the West, and has taught at the Eastman School of Music. He has given master classes to thousands of students across the world through his travels with the Canadian Brass. He has been part of the Kendall Betts Horn Camp in Littleton, NH since its inception in 1995. He teaches and performs alongside the Prairie Winds Woodwind Quintet at the Madeline Island Music Camp in WI, and he is on the faculty of the Raphael Mendez Brass Institute. He and his wife Sarah are proud parents of their daughters Eleanor and Abigail.

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Jan Sloman, violin

Jan Mark Sloman has served as associate concertmaster of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra since 1977. A former University Scholar and Naumburg Grant recipient at Princeton University, Mr. Sloman was accepted without audition at the Curtis Institute of Music. He performed as concertmaster of the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence, Italy, with conductors such as Carlos Kleiber, Zubin Mehta and Carlo Maria Giullini, and has performed as guest concertmaster of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in Geneva, orchestras in Lugano and Melbourne, and the Pittsburgh Symphony at the invitation of Lorin Maazel. A noted teacher, Sloman was named Texas Music Teacher Association's Music Teacher of the Year in 2004. The competitive success of his students has brought him not only national recognition but also recent invitations to teach in Europe and China. He will present some of his outstanding students.

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John Solomons, piano

John Solomons has appeared with great success as soloist, chamber musician, and collaborator in the United States, Europe, and South America, performing in concert with the Emerson String Quartet, Cliburn winner Fabio Bidini, and under the direction of American conductor Gunther Schuller.

A native of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Solomons began his piano studies with his mother at age four, and continued his studies with noted Brazilian pianist Luiz de Moura Castro from the age of eleven. Other primary teachers include Van Cliburn gold-medalist Steven de Groote, Hartt School founder Moshe Paranov, and Adam Wodnicki of the University of North Texas. Solomons holds degrees from Texas Christian University, the Hartt School of Music, and the University of North Texas where he earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree.

Grand prize winner of the 13th Bartok-Kabalevsky-Prokofiev International Piano Competition, John Solomons was praised by Gyorgy Sandor as “an exceptionally gifted artist, whose musical and pianistic achievements are of the highest order”. Additional winnings include 1st prize in the Stewart Grant Competition, 3rd prize in the American Music Scholarship Association's World Piano Competition, and the Catalan Composers Prize at the Xavier Montsalvatge International Piano Competition in Girona, Spain, with the composer serving on the jury. His interest in 20th century music has led to premiers of works by contemporary composers William Albright, James Sellars, Carlos Guinovart, Lloyd Taliaferro, Rufus Brown, and George Chave. An active adjudicator, Solomons has served on numerous juries including the Bartok-Kabalevsky-Prokofiev International Competition, and the Chamber Music Foundation of New England’s International Chamber Music Competition, among others.

Solomons has taught at the Curs Internacional in Girona, Spain, the Festival de Inverno in Vale Veneto, Brazil, and the Universidad Autonomo de Nuevo Leon, Monterrey, Mexico. He has served on the faculties of Tarrant County College, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, and is currently Associate Professor of Piano at the University of Texas at Arlington. Listed in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers and Madison's Who's Who, Solomons has recorded on the Centaur, Mark, and Evolutionary Music Records labels.

“…John is a highly gifted musician, with great technical talent and an unquestionably natural approach to music making. He is a most dynamic performer.”

Philip Setzer, Emerson String Quartet

“The audience was electrified by the piano solo of John Solomons…His crisp phrasing and exquisite dynamic control earned him a standing ovation.”

The Manchester Herald

“He is an exceptionally gifted artist whose musical and pianistic achievements are of the highest order.”

Gyorgy Sandor

“An intelligent and versatile musician, John is able to play the virtuoso repertory with ease. His wide range includes contemporary music and chamber music. He is a sensitive artist with an especially beautiful sonority and attention to nuance and color.”

Luiz de Moura Castro, Hartt School of Music

“His technique is flawless, and he possesses a keen sense of style. He is able to control difficult textures with ease and project the beauty and deeper meaning of music.

Adam Wodnicki, University of North Texas

“…John Solomons deservedly drew the most enthusiastic audience responses with his impressively clean rendition of Prokofiev’s Seventh Sonata.”

Fort Worth Star Telegram

“John Solomons is one of those exceedingly rare pianists who can really play the piano instead of merely playing piano pieces. His interpretive skills are truly poetic, and they complement well his musical intellect. He is a real musician.”

James Sellars, Hartt School of Music

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Leslie Spotz, piano

Pianist Leslie Spotz enjoys an international solo career that has included performances in Moscow at the Tchaikovsky Hall of Moscow University, the South Bank Center of London, Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the famed Academy of Music in Philadelphia, her highly acclaimed tours of Germany and most recently her performance at the inaugural opening of Philadelphia’s new performance venue, the Kimmel Center. She presently heads the piano faculty at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas.

Hailed by the prestigious Süddeutsche Zeitung of Munich, Spotz’ Beethoven was described thus: “Stripped of veneer, revealing all the edges and corners, Spotz earnestly confronted Beethoven’s tempi and dynamic indications, leaving mediocrity and shallow beauty behind and bringing out truth. In all, a concert of the highest critical standard, further proof of the high carat quality of this series.”

Spotz has performed extensively throughout the U.S. from coast to coast. Her appearances as soloist include the Mozart Society of Philadelphia, South Jersey Symphony, Curtis Symphony, Kinhaven Symphony in Vermont, the Piedmont Chamber Orchestra in North Carolina, the Old York Road Symphony in Abington, PA, and the Clear Lake Symphony in Texas. Concert highlights include performances of twenty Beethoven Sonatas at Rutgers University, and her recitals for the Bach Festival of Philadelphia.

Receiving a full scholarship to the Curtis Institute of Music, Dr. Spotz studied with the legendary, Mieczyslaw Horszowski, who was noted for his long association with Pablo Casals. She completed her doctorate at Rutgers University in 2002. After her debut at the age of twelve at Jones Hall in Houston, Texas, she continued her studies at the North Carolina School of the Arts with pianist Irwin Freundlich and Evelyn Swarthout of American University.

The winner of numerous honors, Spotz was finalist in the National Federation of Music Clubs Competition, and received special recognition in the performance of chamber music from Performers of Connecticut, Inc. She has collaborated with violinists, Maria Bachmann, Joseph Genualdi, and Mark Steinberg; Mark Morton, principal bass of Columbus Symphony; with David Wetherill, co-principal horn of the Philadelphia Orchestra; Frank Kaderabek, former principal trumpet of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Joseph Depasquale, former principal viola of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Among the notable international singers for whom Spotz has accompanied are sopranos Julianne Baird, Gwendolyn Bradley, Judith Lovat and Donna Connolly, and tenors Martin Dillon and Robert Guarino. Spotz’ work as a collaborative pianist includes her recent performances with Helix!, the new music ensemble of Rutgers University.

An active proponent of music by women, her 1999 solo CD for Leonore Records features music of women composers. Her discography includes her performance on “Fantasias,” the critically acclaimed CD by flutist, Adeline Tomasone.

"Miss Spotz commands the resonant sound and the elegant gesture… playing of great color, boldness, and suavity… most engaging…"

Daniel Webster, The Philadelphia Inquirer

"Pianist Leslie Spotz proved to be a sympathetic partner, with noteworthy skills as a colorist delineating the prickly harmonies of Ginastera's 'Zamba.' "

Charles McCardell, The Washington Post

"Highest Musical Demands Perfectly Realized. Pianist, Leslie Spotz, enraptured the audience with her technically superlative performance...impeccable technique with convincingly executed passages of feeling, and virtuoso crescendi which drew Bravos....thrilling like champagne...the Town Hall was filled for the very young American... a delicate touch and sensitive drawing of musical lines into an impressionistically tinged image in sound...elegant arpeggi and thundering double octaves."

Arno Preiser, Münchner Merkur

"In Le Tombeau Leslie Spotz excelled with flawless technique and sensitive coloring. Especially gentle she played the Menuet, especially thrilling the Toccata. There was justified applause for the sympathetic artist who had carried the audience off into a highly sophisticated world of music... the encore showed once more, how broad the musical world of Leslie Spotz is."

Reinhold Tietz, Neuer Tag – Bavaria

"...impassioned, fluent piano playing of pianist Leslie Spotz..."

Jewish Exponent

"The extraordinary talent of pianist, Leslie Spotz, brought special brilliance to a fine orchestral program... Miss Spotz dazzled an audience that nearly filled the hall with some simply incredible playing...Her work displayed a grasp of piano technique and overall musicianship very rarely found, and the performance was so spectacular it almost eclipsed the rest of the program.... electrifying... the breath-taking finale brought the audience to its feet for a five-minute ovation, mostly for Miss Spotz."

Winston-Salem Sentinel

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Tarleton State University pianists, students of Dr. Leslie Spotz: Jeremy Bowen, Mallory Caracciolo, DeAnna Donovan, Stephanie Florentino, Olivia Frederich, Christopher Hepburn, Meng Ying Lee, Mark Anthony Porras, Sophia Sands

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Vadim Timinsky, guitar

Vadim Timinsky began studying guitar at the age of ten and later continued his studies at the Georg Ots Tallinn Music College with the noted Estonian guitarist Tiit Peterson. After studying in his native Estonia, he attended the Jerusalem Rubin Academy of Music and Dance, studying with Joseph Urshalmi, and from where he received a Bachelor in Music Performance. Mr Timinsky has attended master classes by Aniello Desiderio (Italy), Costas Cotsiolis (Greece), Thomas Muller-Pering (Germany), Zoran Dukic (Chorvatia), Vladimir Mikulka (Czechoslovakia). In 2005, Mr. Timinsky completed his Master of Music in Classical Guitar Performance at SMU under Professor Robert Guthrie. He started giving recitals while still a student. He has also performed as a soloist at various festivals in Estonia, Finland, Israel, Greece and Germany. He frequently performs in the Dallas Metroplex as a soloist as well as an ensemble member.

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Violeta Trapcheva, violin

Violeta Trapcheva was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, where she studied Violin and Music Theory with Professor Elena Atanasova and attended the Bulgarian National Music School where she studied Violin Performance with Radmila Petrova and Elizaveta Kazakova. Subsequently, she studied music pedagogy at the University of Sofia. Ms. Trapcheva then attended Texas Christian University in Fort Worth where she received a Bachelor of Music Performance in Violin. At TCU she studied with Dr. Curt Thompson and Ms. Swang Lin (Associate Concert Master at the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra). She has earned a Master in Music Performance (violin) from Southern Methodist University, where she studied with Dr. Chee-Yun Kim. Ms. Trapcheva has already had an extensive experience in teaching and in performing. In Sofia, she was a member of the Chamber Music Ensemble "Oborishte", she performed with the Symphony Orchestra and with the Classic FM Radio Orchestra. While at TCU, she performed with the Texas Christian University Symphony Orchestra, the San Angelo Orchestra, the Irving Symphony Orchestra, and the Abilene Symphony Orchestra.

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Fernand Vera, guitar

A native of Houston, Texas, Fernand Vera is a sought-after guitar soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. He holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Music from the University of St. Thomas and Masters of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Guitar Performance and Music Theory from the University of North Texas, where he studied under Tom Johnson. Fernand has also studied privately with Houston-based Valerie Harztell, and explored the folk guitar tradition of South America during his three-month stay in Ecuador.

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Matthew Vincent, violin

Violinist Matthew Vincent began his musical studies at age 7. He made his first public appearance at New York’s Steinway Hall at the age of 9. His beginning years of music were spent in study at Rutgers University and the Westminster Conservatory in Princeton, NJ. After moving to Los Angeles in 2000, Matthew has made several solo appearances, and has participated in numerous orchestras, chamber groups, competitions, and festivals in North America, Europe, and Asia. He is a former concertmaster of the Jr. Philharmonic Orchestra of California, playing under the baton of founder Ernst Katz, and alongside dozens of celebrities including Pat Boone, Dick Van Dyke, Florence Henderson, Flea, and Mickey Rooney. Matthew has also been the violinist for several bands in the Los Angeles area, including collaborations with the Larry Bagby Band, Venice, and Hall of Fame legend Jackson Browne. He is currently in his fourth year at Southern Methodist University’s Meadows School of the Arts, under the tutelage of Dallas Symphony concertmaster Emanuel Borok. His previous instructors have included Vesselin Demirev, Diane Kitzman, and Chee-Yun Kim.

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Claire Wells, violin

Nine year old Claire Luan Wells began studying piano and violin at an early age, but has already made solo, chamber music and master class appearances with Strings International Festival in 2008; the Institute for Strings in 2009 and 2010; Meadowmount School for Strings in 2010; and Music at Menlo in 2010. She won top prize on violin and piano at the state Oregon Teachers Association Bach Festival in 2010 and first prize on violin and piano at the Dallas Teachers Association Symphonic Festival in 2011. She is home-schooled and speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese; she is also studying French.

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Jo Zhou, piano

A graduate student at SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts, Jo Zhou is currently finishing her M.M. under scholarship with Dr. Carol Leone. She began her piano studies at the age of three and has since been performing in the Dallas area, competing and winning several local area piano competitions. In 2004, Jo began studying with José Feghali at Texas Christian University, where she graduated magna cum laude with a B.M. in Piano Performance. During that time, Jo began organ lessons with Dr. Joseph Butler and continues to foster a love of pedal playing with Dr. Larry Palmer at SMU.

Jo is currently a Teaching Fellow with the Piano Preparatory Department at SMU where she teaches private and group piano. She recently gave a masterclass at the 2010 Texas Music Teachers Association Convention, and also taught music history and piano at the National Piano Institute for Young Artists. Jo is passionate about the interdisciplinary field of music cognition and is giving a lecture recital in the Spring of 2011 on the crossroads between music and mind.

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